Internal-combustion engine



1,635,612 July 19, 1927' H. NOAH Y INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed April 24, 1926 2 Shuts-Shoot 1 i i l v 5 i l i l j /a I I Jnvmfloz L.HMQ]Z Jul 1927.

y L. H. NOAH INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed April 24, 1926 Patented July 19, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,636,612 PATENT OFFICE.

LEROY n. NOAH, or mmo, Kansas.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Application filed April 24, 1928. Serial in. 104,414.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines and more particularly to a means connecting the reciprocatm pistons of internal combustion enginesto t e power a or crank shafts thereof- 1 A further object of the invention is to provide an improved four cycle'motor in which distributed losses, due to the usual angular strains applied by the ordinary crank conto nections, are eliminated and the accompanying friction likewise eliminated.

A. further and more specific object of the invention is to provide an internal combustion engine, the pistons of which are con- 15 nected with a oke to reciprocate this yoke in a straight lme together with means for converting this straight line movement of the piston into a rotary movement of such character that all side strain is eliminated.

These and other objects I attain by the construction shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention and wherein I Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through an engine constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a view partially in section and partially in elevation made at right angles so to the view shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged side elevatlon of the control member. i

:5 Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral generally designates a cylinder block including a cylinders 11 arranged side to side. perating within each cylinder is a piston 12 hav- .ing a rod 13. The lower or crank caseends of the rods 13 extend through packing boxes 14 and are rigidly connected, as at 15, to ears 16 projecting from opposite sides of a yoke 17.- Opposite ends of the cylinders 11 are each provided with intake and exhaust valves 18 and 19 suitably controlled from a cam shaft 20 driven from the crank shaft 21, the axis of which is perpendicular to the axes of the rods 13. The pistons are maintained by the yoke 17 in corresponding positions in their cylinders and the valve arrangement is such that as one end of one cylinder is exhausting, the corresponding end of the other cylinder is compressing, so that 55 a cushioning of the yoke 13 occurs at each end of the stroke thereof, this cushion being gair of alternately s lit at the correspondin ends of correspon ing strokes by the cylin ers.

The yoke 17 is mounted in suitable guides 22 carried by the base of the cylinders and has formed therein a substantially oval openmg 23 through which the crank shaft 21 is directed. The longer axis of this openin is in the same plane as the axes of the rodg 13 and the longer walls of the opening are provided upon opposed faces thereof with short rack sections 24 adapted to alternately engage with the teeth 25 of an interrupted gear. The shorter walls of the openin have inwardly projecting curved abutment locks 26 adapted for coaction with an untoothed portion 27 of the disk upon which the interrupted gear is formed. This portion of the disk has its wall curved upon'the same radius as the curved surface of the abutment blocks and between the ends of this untoothed portion 27 and the interrupted gear, the outer edge of the disk has lugs 28, the outer faces of which are curved upon the same radius as the outer ends of the teeth 25. The teeth of the racks 24 have their base line coincident with the inner walls of the yoke and the In portions 28 of the disk are of such length that they will extend between one end of the rack and the adjacent end of the abutment block 26 at the adjacent end of the yoke 17. i

In operation, assuming the pistons and yoke to be in the positions illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawin s, explosionwithin the cylinder will cause t e yoke 17 to move downwardly. The rack 24 at the right hand side of the yoke will engage with the interrupted gear 25, causing rotation of the disk and accordingly of the shaft 21 to which the disk is keyed, at 29. Downward movement of the pistons and yoke is limited by engagement of the abutment block 26 at the upper end of the oke with the untoothed portion 27 of the isk and by the compression at the lower end of one of the cylinders, ashereinbefole noted.

Arriving at the end of its stroke, the,

abutment 26 at the upper end of the yoke remains in engagement with the portion 27 of the disk during a short period of rotation of the crank shaft at the end of which the ,second lug 28 engages against the left hand v a certain range of change and modification at the lower end of one of the pistons, causing the (yoke to move upwardly and impart a 'secon impulse to the shaft 21. It will thus be seen that during each cycle of operation of the pistons, the gear is enga d with one of the racks and at the end 0 t e c ole, the gear is out of en agement w1th 0th racks. At this time, t e lugs 28, by their on agement with the end teeth of the racks anfi the disk by its engagement with the abutment 26 prevent movement of the yoke in opposite directions. This provides ashort halt at the end of each stroke, permitting either complete scavenging of the cyhnder or a morecom lete intermingling of the fuel charge whic is com ressed so that it is properly prepared for rin The latter feature is particularly desirab e in that it ehminates Stratification of the char e. To maugurate the next cycle of the piston, a lug 28 engages against one of the abutments causing the slight movement of the yoke above referred to. i

In order to reinforce the teeth of the racks, the gear 25 andlugs 28 against the strain laced thereon by initial engagements, the ugs and the end teeth ofboth the racks and ears are extended beyond the sides of the iisk and yoke so as to provide increased wearing surface.

If desired, the yoke may be provided at each side thereof at that end of the rack 24 last engaged by the teeth 25 of the gear with an additional or holding tooth 30 which engages in a socket 31 formed in the coacting lug 28. These teeth will be made shorter than the teeth of the rack 24 so that they will be cleared by the lugs 28 when the yoke has arrived at the end of its movement.

It will, of course, be obvious that the construction hereinbefore set forth is capable of without materially departing from the spirit of the invention and I accordingly do not limit myself to such specific structure except as hereinafter claimed.

I claim 1. Means for connecting the pistons of internal combustion engines with the shafts thereof comprislng a yoke rigidly connected with the piston, said yoke being in the form of an open frame through which the shaft is directed, racks formed upon opposed sides of the frame and a disk secured to the shaft and including a segmental gear for coaction with said racks, the racks and gear being out of engagement during a portion of each cycle of the iston and coacting means upon the yoke an disk for preventing longitudinal movement of the yoke during said portion of .each cycle.

2. Means for connecting the pistons of internal combustion engines with the shafts thereof comprising a yoke rigidly connected with the piston, said yoke belng in the form 3. Means for connecting the pistons of inten ml combustion engines with the shafts thereof comprising a yoke rigidly connected with the piston, said yoke being 1n the form of an open frame through which the shaft is directed, racks formed upon opposed sides of the frame and a disk secured to the shaft and includin a segmental gear for coaction with said rac s, the racks and gear being out of engagement during a portion of each cycle of the piston and lugs upon the disk at opposite ends of the gear engaging the end teeth of the racks during said portion of each cycle to prevent longitudinal movement of the yoke in one direction, the disk, by its engagement with the ends of the yoke, preinternal combustion engines with the shaftsthereof comprising a yoke rigidly connected with the piston, said yoke being in the form of an -0 en frame through which the shaft is directe racks formed upon opposed sides of the frame and a disk secured to the shaft and including a segmental gear forcoaction with said racks, the racks and gear being out of engagement during a portion of each cycle of the piston and lugs upon the disk at opposite ends of the gear engaging the end teeth of the racks during said portion of each cycle to prevent longitudinal movement of the yoke in one direction, the disk, by its engagement with the ends of the yoke, preventing movement of the yoke in the opposite direction, one of said lugs at the end of said cycle having engagement with the yoke impartingan initial longitudinal movement thereto to inaugurate the next cycle of the piston.

5. Means for connecting the pistons of internal combustion engines with the shafts thereof comprising a yoke rigidly connected with the piston, said yoke being in the form of an open frame through which the shaft is directed, racks formed upon opposed sides of the frame and a disk secured to the shaft and includinga segmental gear for coaction with said racks, the racks and gear being out of engagement during a portion of each cycle of the piston and lugs upon the disk at opposite ends of the gear engaging the end teeth of theracks during said portion of each the yoke in one direction, the disk by its at the end of each cycle imparting an initial engagement with the ends of the yolie, premovement to the yoke, inaugurating the sucventin movement of the yoke in the opceeding cycle.

posite irection, the ends of the oke having In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my 6 abutments against which the isk engages signature.

during said portion of the cycle, one of the lugs having engagement with said abutments LEROY H. NOAH. 

